Running a business from home - the importance of over-communicating
As part of our continued attempts to stem the flow of the Coronavirus, many of us are finding working from home challenging - particularly those of us who are also responsible for childcare. Running a business under these circumstances is especially tricky - not to mention tiring. It’s vital, however, that business leaders keep everyone in their organisation aligned, no matter how much energy it takes.
In my experience, communication is key. We need to ensure our people remain in touch with each other - whether it’s communication from the executive team, or more regular catch-ups between management and junior staff. We need to ensure that no-one goes too long without talking to anyone else. And, perhaps most importantly, we need to over-communicate.
Empathy and trust
Working from home is, of course, entirely different to working in an office. For example, as a parent myself, I completely empathise with the challenges that having children can present. Empathy is important in this situation. You have to trust that your staff will make up any time missed. Ultimately, it’s about results rather than the number of hours. That said, while flexibility shouldn’t be a problem, people must have a very good reason for not being available during core business hours.
This trust must be underpinned by communication. If you’re working in a team, and someone goes AWOL, it can soon lead to frustration and resentment. If you over-communicate, though, it’s much less likely to be an issue. If you’re about to have lunch, or step away from your computer for an hour, you should use an online chat platform, like Slack, to let your colleagues know. Likewise, if you find yourself caught up in unavoidable family business, or need to leave your house for the afternoon, letting people know in advance will mean it’s unlikely to be a problem.
Routines and consistency
While it can be difficult, setting routines is essential to achieving a sense of normalcy. If you and your staff are going to be productive, it’s vital to have some structure to the day - getting up at the same time, working in the same place, making time to eat lunch or go for a run.
This is also true for business processes. We’ve been strict with certain rituals that we expect to take place during the working week - our executive team has a 30 minute catch-up every morning, and we ask each of our team leads to carry out a daily stand-up. We have an all-hands meeting every Friday too, which is typically led by someone from management or the exec team. These meetings are non-negotiable. Consistency is key - these meetings simply won’t be as effective if they’re run on an ad hoc basis.
Different tools
There are many tools available that allow you to communicate with your staff.
Slack, for instance, is useful for keeping people informed, whether it’s as to your whereabouts, or on the status of a project. People may be in different locations, but many of them may be inherently linked to a particular project. Keeping updates on that project within a single Slack channel will ensure those people remain in the loop without bombarding their colleagues with unnecessary information.
Video call solutions, such as Zoom, are far more effective for discussions and problem-solving. As CEO, my day is largely made up of video calls - it’s important I make sure everyone’s on the same page, part of the same team. And it shouldn’t just be the CEO - all the key people within your business should be speaking with their teams as often as they can. Indeed, we encourage video calls over Slack or Zoom. They allow you to look people in the eye, for a real sense of how they are. They also help you avoid misunderstandings and misinterpretations - especially important when you have a geographically and culturally diverse workforce. Discussing specific technical requirements over a video call will be far more effective than a written message via Slack, for example; not only will it save time, it’s much harder for anything to be lost in translation.
Worthwhile investment
Under the current circumstances, I can’t emphasise the importance of over-communication enough. I won’t pretend it’s easy. It reminds me of my teaching days. When you’re in a classroom, you’re always talking, always interacting. And this requires a lot of energy. In fact, I’m more tired working from home than I was working in the office. But it’s a worthwhile investment.
We succeed when we’re part of a team, and this depends on everyone working closely together, and joining the dots. Over-communicating means everyone’s on the same page. And the more time you and your staff spend communicating with each other - even if only on video calls - the better you’ll understand each other, allowing you to work more closely, increase productivity, and realise your goals more quickly.
